Awards & Honours
‘Irrespective of whether today, yesterday, months, years or decades ago, if you have received personal recognition of an Award or Honour that you would like to share with RNWA members and oppos then please let us know. Ideally every submission should be accompanied by at least one photograph (a maximum of three) and a write-up explaining the photograph(s) and how and when you came by the Award or Honour. Please do not read too deeply into the title in so as far as the formality and the official capacity of the Award or Honour. Of course if you received a CBE, OBE, MBE, BEM or any other form of military or civilian type of honour, then let’s hear about it, but on the other hand let’s have an element and mixture of fun, so perhaps in your Pussers days you were awarded a certificate for ‘Crossing The Line’ or an award for the largest marrow at your local County fayre, then be proud and let’s hear about it to liven up the website with glorious dits’ and photo’s. You can of course submit more than one topic that you were and are proud of.
Leading Writer Naomi Harvey – Flagship Bremont Watch Award
Leading Writer Harvey has had a direct and hugely positive impact upon HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, from the Commodore to the most junior sailor. She is the senior Leading Hand on board; an inspiration and mentor to many and a friend to all. Having completed both the Petty Officer Writer Qualifying and Senior Rate Leadership courses, she is fully qualified to be a Petty Officer Writer. She is an outstanding human resources professional who runs the Writers’ training organisation while leading and guiding her junior sailors with skill and compassion. She is also a robust but caring Leading Hand of the Mess, using her years of experience to instil and uphold the values and traditions of the Service, and ensuring that a generation of junior Logisticians will leave QUEEN ELIZABETH with their moral compass fully calibrated.
Professional excellence aside, it is her profound and continuous involvement in the broader life of the ship that sets her apart. She has worked tirelessly as part of the Welfare, Entertainment and Homecoming Committees. A key example of this came at a difficult period in the deployment, when the visit to Japan was restricted such that the Ship’s Company was not permitted to proceed ashore. This was the visit many had viewed as the pinnacle of the trip, and so it was decided to provide a small memento of this in the form of a ‘gizzit’ bag. LWtr Harvey took personal responsibility for the management and distribution of these, leading a small team who assembled the bags and then distributed them to the 1500+ personnel on board. She then repeated this in Singapore, once again ensuring that her shipmates would return to the UK with souvenirs from the deployment that they would otherwise not have been able to collect.
The above is just a snapshot of the dedicated and wholly altruistic approach LWtr Harvey takes in everything she does for her shipmates. Furthermore, she co-manages QNLZ Enterprises, ensuring that the Ship’s Company has access to a broad range of branded merchandise, and has been key in promoting and selling tickets for the Ship’s FORTIS raffle; the largest deployment raffle ever conducted in the Royal Navy. She is the first to volunteer to support any whole ship welfare event or initiative, stepping forward with ideas and energy in support of anything that will simply make life better for the Ship’s Company. Although she never seeks plaudits or recognition, she is universally respected for always going that little bit further for all on board.
I Feasey
Captain Royal Navy
HM QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS 2020 – AWARDED THE MBE
Leading Writer Rebecca Fyans was named in 2018 as a Rising Star in Defence at a prestigious awards ceremony in London, singling her out as an inspirational role model in recognition of her tireless charity work championing a cause she is so passionate about.
You do not need to spend long with Rebecca to realise why she was plucked from 1,250 high calibre entries, to win the award. Her enthusiasm is infectious, she is positive, approachable, and fiercely determined to use her own experiences to improve that of others, spreading a positive message of life with someone that has Down syndrome.
After traveling across Asia Pacific in 2004 Rebecca realised, she wanted to do something different so joined the Royal Navy in 2007 at the age of 27. She has worked on board HMS YORK, in Camp Bastion hospital in Afghanistan and the shore establishment HMS NELSON, before finding out she was pregnant in 2012.
Her son Sebby was born in 2013 with Down syndrome “This is when my life changed for the better, forever” says the hardworking mum of two.
“The Royal Navy allowed me to take a career break to dedicate my time to ensuring he had the best start in life. During this time, I became closely involved with a children’s charity, the Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association.
“Volunteering as a charity Secretary, Trustee and new parent liaison I have; delivered training to midwives on how to give a positive diagnosis of DS; lectured college students and educational professionals; spoken at charity events and high-profile dinners; been filmed for TV and organised and taken part in multiple fundraising events.”
In recognition of her dedication and commitment to the community, ‘Bex’ was awarded the MBE.
MARIE TAYLOR BEM
Award of British Empire Medal
In May, Marie was informed that she was to be awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queens’ Birthday Honours List. It was to be presented by the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Mr Barry Dodd CBE and it was presented ‘For being The Standard Bearer for the Royal Naval Association and for services to Veterans and the community’.
The presentation was held at Northallerton County Hall on 29 September 2019 and Marie took with her a family member and three friends from where she had previously worked. It was a lovely day and 5 awards were presented. After the ceremony and photos in the grounds Marie had tea and sandwiches and cake and they were all given a book signed by the Lord Lieutenant about North Yorkshire
Marie was supposedly to have been invited to a Queens’ Garden Party but somehow was missed but fortunately accompanied a friend from the Wrens, (ex-Writer G) Lin McCormack. That again was a most enjoyable and memorable day and again the weather smiled on them.